No particular reason why I'm posting this. But one of my favorites from the Scherrie era and shows how good SMC sounded as a group.
No particular reason why I'm posting this. But one of my favorites from the Scherrie era and shows how good SMC sounded as a group.
it’s a definite fave of mine as well. They sound wonderful together and I think it’s is as good as the best Scherrie vocals. It might be my favorite. When I first started playing this 500 years ago, I began to think what could be done to it to make it a single. There’s so much wonderful there and it’s seems like it’s kind of underappreciated.
I slept on this one for a long time. It really is a great one. Perhaps a different mix and it could've been a single. As is, it's a great album track.
Nice tune!
Anyone else like "Give Out, But Don't Give Up"?
the material produced by Ivey and Woodford on Sup 75 was lightyears beyond anything else produced for that album, even the Holland material. the entire lp should have been turned over to this team. there's a strong pop appeal with the material, still keeping in the "supremes" wheelhouse but also very current and appropriate for 1975. I think Blue and You Can't Stop A Girl could have both been hits.
great to have a new thread to chat on!
i'm going to bring up another point. Does anyone else dislike the album art for Sup 75? You have 3 gorgeous women but on the front 2 of them couldn't look more disengaged or bored. and on the back, did they sub Lee Sing for Cindy? since when was some asian chic a supreme?! hehehe poor Cindy was so airbrushed she was nearly unrecognizable.
MSC had been taking some glorious photos and photo sessions and these were the 2 pics taken?!?!
CMWB was briefly considered for solo release before He's My Man was finally settled on.
The problem I had and still have with the 1975 lp, it was ten rather short tracks by 5 different producers. Motown was desperately trying to find a hit sound on this new group. I don't know why it had to be so radical, Scherrie was clearly the lead singer but Mary and Pedro bucked for Mary to do more leads because she was tired of training new ladies and then they leave her. The comeback lp barely ran 30 minutes at a time when album gave you 40 to 45 minutes of music.
Clayton and Ivey I think could have taken the group in a new direction if only Motown had the insight. If you all remember a few years later a group called Hot had a massive hit with Angel In Your Arms, featuring a lead singer that sounded a lot like Scherrie. Likely the Supremes would have gotten this track in time. Clayton and Ivey had a good mixture of pop and R & B in their work to come up with commercial songs.
Motown made it clear even before the ladies began recordings that the first lp with Scherrie would be a test album to determine if the group had enough of an audience to warrant further recordings. While the album was not a pop hit with the mainstream record buyers [[who probably didn't know about it, there was no promotion or airplay) the group made a huge impact on the disco crowd. Since this was the direction Motown was going in, the disco crowd, it was decided that the Supremes would become a disco group. It's not like there wasn't a huge pool of disco artists out there, most of whom were younger than The Supremes, but that was the decision. It only resulted in marginal success. I loved all groupings of the Supremes but it's a little painful to watch the youtube videos of the group doing their disco music wearing the cumbersome 60s gowns. Many of the newer stage wear was garish at best. Women weren't really wearing gowns anymore and if you look at other female enterainers at the time they were wearing street clothes, jeans, sporting naturals and being more down to earth. Motown itself was in a slow decline, they were no longer setting industry trends, but following them instead.
I actually like the cover art for the 1975 album, both front and back, even with unrecognizable Cindy. I think these photos are better and more current than some of the other SMC photo sessions [[like the one with the sequins and feathers) which look sort of out of date.
Bayou and Reese - i agree with your points that the aging sequins and feathers were not what the supremes needed. I don't find the new gowns ugly necessarily. Just out of date with their massive chiffon skirts and all. i liked the red outfits from Sonny and Cher [[once the cumbersome fringe was redone). the red sequin wrap gowns were better too, as they were more form fitting. wrap dresses were hugely popular at the time [[thanks Diane von Furstenberg) and so that could have been a look more appropriate for the times.
I don't know if it would have been a hit or not, but Color My World Blue, along with Give Out, Don't Give Up, Can't Stop a Girl in Love, and You Turn Me Around, are all solid well crafted pop songs. A full album from Ivey and Woodford might have been quite an enjoyable listen.
i think you could have quickly released It's All Been Said in late 74 or early 75. just to get something out there. it wouldn't have been a #1 but could have done well. had a nice pop and supremes sound. and it would have fit just fine among the I&W tunes.
It's always been a favorite of mine , and I think ,the best song on the album.
I agree, I would have let the producers have the entire album
I love Color my world blue. I think it suited Scherrie and it's my fave from the '75 album. Don't like that kettle whistling during the intro bit, don't know what it is?? and the string instrument during the first part till it disappears into the background around 0:45. Prefer the "intro" of Ann Sexton's version. As for the cover of the album. Don't really know what to think of it. All I can say is that it was a big improvement compared to their previous album cover [[Jimmy Webb). Personally I would have liked a less dreamy cover and something more in the line of "here we are with a new co-lead singer" something stylish but hip.
Bookmarks